Hello to all our Cemetery Friends and Neighbours
It is Spring once more and the colours of the daffodils in the Cemetery never fail to amaze me.Dean Road Cemetery is looking smart with most of the headstones standing proud, however an inspection of headstones is currently taking place and we are expecting some headstones on Dean Road will be deemed unsafe and many more will be laid flat in Manor Road Cemetery to prevent accidents and breakages. Sadly the Community Payback project has now come to an end.
On a positive note one of our projects was to open a pathway on the Manor Road side of the iron bridge. This work was completed last year and we are very grateful to Roger Burnett and Sheila Johnson for facilitating the work. The path required building up at one side and stabilising the other which they carried out themselves.
Tarmac contractors resurfaced the new path, the path that runs under the iron bridge and the path leading to The Bothy. This work has made a tremendous difference and the drainage has improved. We would like to thank Councillor John Atkinson who donated his Locality Budget helped fund the path project .
A new noticeboard will be placed at the Columbus Ravine entrance. Many thanks to Councillor Phil Kershaw who donated part of his Locality Budget to The Friends.
On behalf of the Friends I would like to thank Councillors Atkinson, Kershaw and Smith as their tenure as councillors ends, for their advice and support to the group.
The Sunday morning opening of Dead House behind the Chapel is a firm fixture and regular fundraiser for the Friends. It is a hub for people to meet for a chat, make donations of books and goods and also grab some bargains . A BIG thank you to all our volunteers who turn up in all weathers to facilitate this weekly sale.
It is the Friends Annual General Meeting on Monday 24 April at St Columba’s Church Hall at 7 pm. Everyone welcome and there will be a talk on the work of the Friends by Sheila Johnson.
We have put together a programme of Cemetery Walks for the Summer months and details of our Heritage Cemetery Fair; details are inside this newsletter.
A big thank you to everyone who supports us, it is much appreciated.
Linda Smith-Tomczak Chairman
UNFORGOTTEN. Research carried out by Fred Fox
At about 2.40 in the afternoon of the 16th February 1917, a cargo vessel, the S.S. Lady Ann, was rocked by a huge explosion as she passed Scarborough. “The whole ship was lifted upwards, throwing the helmsman and chief officer off their feet, while the complete bow section of the vessel broke off, rolled over and sank immediately. As the captain, chief officer, helmsman, chief engineer and two seamen scrambled to launch the port lifeboat, the SS Lady Ann slipped beneath the waves, taking her captain and ten men with her. The helmsman and four surviving crew clung to floating wreckage and were picked up by a local fishing coble,which landed them at Scarborough. (A Comprehensive Guide To Shipwrecks Of The East Coast, Vol 1, Ron Young, The History PressLTD, 2003 )
There is some dispute about the cause of the explosion. Some reported that it was a mine and others that it was a torpedo fired from a German submarine. Whatever the cause, out of a crew of sixteen, five were rescued and eleven died. The body of one of the eleven, First Mate Frederick Arthur Chater, was recovered and is buried in Section A of Dean Road Cemetery and his grave is marked by a Commonwealth War Graves Commission headstone.
Chater is the only one of the 11 dead recorded by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission as having a known grave; the other 10, including the steward Walter William Gunn, are remembered on the Tower Hill Memorial in London. This Memorial records the names of more than 35,000 men of the Merchant Marine who died in the two World Wars having no known grave.
The Friends of Dean Road and Manor Road cemetery have a continuous programme of research; as part of this we did a little more research into First Mate Chater and the Lady Ann.
From this we discovered that steward Walter Gunn had not been lost at sea, instead he was buried in an unmarked grave in Dean Road Cemetery next to Chater’s
grave. We know this because the funerals of both men had been reported in the local newspaper as being laid ‘side by side’ and both bodies had been identified by one of their shipmates. Despite the ‘wretched weather’ three of them had attended the funeral, as had relatives of the deceased, a representative from the ship’s owners, Mr. Brook from the Mission to Seamen, the coxswain of the lifeboat Mr J Owston and a member of the lifeboat crew. There were floral tributes from the relatives of both men. Walter Gunn was born in Stepney, London but, like Frederick Chater, lived in Sunderland. He was a widower with five children, four daughters and a son. A trawl through Ancestry has told us that Walter Gunn’s children moved to Australia and that they are interested in the family’s history.
For some reason the location of Walter Gunn’s grave had been forgotten until now. Our findings have been passed to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and we look forward to seeing Gunn’s name removed from the list of the “missing” and an acknowledgement that he
rests in the cemetery. We will be contacting Gunn’s relatives as soon as we hear back from the Commission.
The Friends of Dean Road and Manor Road Cemetery would like to thank the staff at Scarborough Library and Woodlands Crematorium for their help with this research.
FRIENDS OF DEAN ROAD & MANOR ROAD CEMETERY WEBSITEPLEASE FEEL FREE TO VISIT OUR WEBSITE AND FIND A WEALTH OF INFORMATION ON |
DEAN ROAD HERITAGE CEMETERY FAIR & INFORMATION DAYSUNDAY 3 SEPTEMBER 11 AM—2.30 PMAN OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS BEAUTIFUL CEMETERY, THE WORK OF THE CEMETERY FRIENDS GROUP AND A CHANCE TO RESEARCH YOUR LOCALFAMILY HISTORY AND FIND FAMILY GRAVES THERE WILL BE LOTS OF ACTIVITIES INCLUDING – A GIANT BOOK SALE, BRIC-A-BRAC STALLTOMBOLA, CRAFT STALLS, OUTDOOR CAFÉ, FAMILY HISTORY RESEARCH CEMETERY WALKS, ADVICE FROM A LOCAL UNDERTAKER, FACE PAINTING AND MUCH MOREPUT THE DATE IN YOUR DIARY AND COME ALONG AND SUPPORT US |
APPEAL FOR TOMBOLA PRIZES—CAN YOU HELP?Unwanted gifts, bottles and confectionery would be much appreciated to help us raise funds for the Cemetery. These can be dropped off at the Dead House on a Sunday morning 10 am—12 noon.We can arrange for them to be collected by ringing 07789 691863 | DOG WALKERSPLEASE KEEP YOUR DOGS ON A LEAD WHEN WALKING IN THE CEMETERY.ALL DOG FOULING MUST BE PICKED UP. BINS AVAILABLE FOR THE DISPOSAL OF POO. |
SALE OF BOOKS, BRIC-A-BRAC & PLANTSDEAN ROAD CEMETERY (behind the Chapel)EVERY SUNDAY (weather permitting) 10 AM until 12 NOONLOTS OF GREAT OFFERS AND BARGAINSWE ALSO ACCEPT OFFERS OF BOOKS, JIGSAWS AND BRIC-A-BRAC ALL PROCEEDS GO TOWARDS THE UPKEEP OF THE CEMETERYWE ALSO ACCEPT DONATIONS |
Join our VolunteersOn the first Sunday of the Month– tidying, litter picking, pruning and planting to help with Cemetery maintenance.Protective clothing and equipment provided.We meet behind the Chapel at 9.50 am for a two hour session. | FRIENDS OF DEAN ROAD & MANOR ROAD ANNUAL GENERAL MEETINGMONDAY 24 APRIL 2023 AT 7 PMST COLUMBA’S CHURCH HALLTHERE WILL BE A FASCINATING TALK ABOUT THE ONGOING WORK TAKING PLACE BY THE FRIENDS IN OUR HISTORIC CEMETERYEVERYONE WELCOME |
BECOME A MEMBER OF THE FRIENDS OF DEAN ROAD & MANOR ROAD CEMETERY AND KEEP UP TO DATE WITH OUR WORK AND PROGRESS KNOWING YOU ARE ALSO SUPPORTING THE WORK WE DO.COST IS £10 PER ANNUM AND YOU RECEIVE A LOVELY ENAMELLED BADGE |
KEEP IN TOUCHEmail – [email protected] |